Library groups have joined forces with the EFF and others to demand a seat at …

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A coalition of digital lobbying groups and library organizations are demanding that the US government drop its support for the most controversial part of the (generally controversial) Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement: Internet-related issues

ACTA, currently being negotiated secretly by the US, Japan, Canada, the EU, and others, will cover a host of cross-border concerns. And what could be more cross-border than the Internet? That's why ACTA contains a blank section on Internet issues; the text is still being negotiated, but we already know that copyright holders hope that goodies like ISP filtering and graduated response end up in the final language of the treaty. Government negotiators refuse to give hints about what sorts of measures they are pushing for inclusion in this key section of the treaty.

This is precisely what the EFF, the Center for Democracy & Technology, Public Knowledge, and the American Library Association fear. In most respects, they don't oppose the idea of ACTA. "Rather, we believe the [US Trade Representative] also should be pursuing this objective in a manner that benefits, rather than harms, US technology companies and consumers," they wrote in a letter (PDF) this week to the US Trade Rep., Ron Kirk. Based on negotiating documents that have become public—although not made available by the US government—the letter says that its signatories have good reasons to believe that ACTA negotiations could harm a significant portion of the economy, as well as consumer interests.

To fix the process, the groups want 1) a seat at the table ("advisory committees to represent Internet and civil society constituencies") and 2) access to the so-far undisclosed negotiating documents. "There is absolutely no reason for the negotiating documents to be secret," they argue. "Indeed, given the highly technical nature of intellectual property law, and the inconsistent US court decisions in this area, USTR would benefit from broad public input to ensure that US negotiating positions do not stray from US law."

But there is one complaint that goes beyond process. "Delete the Internet-specific provisions of ACTA," says the group. "Your staff acknowledges that these issues are some of the most controversial and complex in the ACTA negotiations," and they have the most potential for consumer harm.

Those with concerns about the ACTA process can take some comfort from the fact that its progress has stalled. Originally, there was talk of having everything wrapped up by the time George Bush left office, but that timetable has been pushed back as the treaty has come under relentless scrutiny from US, Canadian, and European groups that are concerned about a possible expansion of Internet restrictions.